Oh, my goodness ... Where has this week gone? I thought today was Wednesday until I got a Tablescape Thursday email in my inbox! So I'm a little later than usual to the party this week, but I'm not going to miss it. On our recent trip north, we spent an afternoon in the amazing little town of Saugatuck, Michigan. Oh, how I wish we'd had more time! There was more to see and do than there had been on Mackinac Island, and I'm thinking if there's a next time, we'll plan a trip here instead... For starters, there was the HUGE Amsterdam Antiques & Oddities store right on the Blue Star Highway. I took lots of pics, but today I'll just show you a few of their restaurant dishes. They aren't all "my style," ... Keep Reading...
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Counting the Days … Vintage Linen & Dish Auction Begins Soon!
These pretties and many more ... Don't miss out! This is a charity auction. Go HERE to read all about it ... then help me spread the word! ALL profit goes to Hope Unlimited for Children to support children at mortal risk. Thanks in advance for your generosity! AUCTION HAS ENDED. ... Keep Reading...
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It’s a CRAZY Time to Relax!
Busy week at your house? It is at ours. But sometimes, in the midst of all the craziness, a body's just got to slow down and relax. Let's do that together for a minute ... Go ahead and sit a spell... It's okay. You have time. Soak in the blue skies ... and the artistry of the fountain. Close your eyes ... and listen to the water. Let it replace your mental "to do" list. Smile ... Now take a deep breath and return to your day. You're welcome. I'll be sharing this virtual set of "relaxation" notecards tonight at the notecard party at A Haven for Vee. If you missed our field trip last year to Clark Gardens in Texas, you can read about it HERE. It was such a visual ... Keep Reading...
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When Two Cultures Collide: Common Ground
Shortly after I spied these pretties at Das Dutchman Essenhaus in Northern Indiana ... Click HERE to read post. ... I spied five men sitting around a table: an attorney, a rancher, the owner of a concrete and excavation company, the owner of a home restoration company, and (my Renaissance Man) the president of an international child rescue organization. All are Americans. All are Christians. All are family men. Two are Amish. The attorney (a long-time family friend and father of the groom at the previous evening's wedding) had introduced my husband to the Amish men and their families on a recent trip to Indiana; in fact, Renaissance Man had dinner in one of their homes, and the ... Keep Reading...
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Lighting the Way: A GRAND Hotel FINALE
Welcome to the weekend! I thought you might like one final Mackinac Island Grand Hotel post. This time, it's all about the lighting. I'll just let you look. Would you ever have dreamed there would be so many different styles? And this is just a few of them... This one's my favorite ... Or maybe this one ... Two totally different styles. I can't decide which one I like best. But I love the round window ... and the Mackinac Bridge in the background. Do you have a favorite? Leave a comment and tell me ... and if you want to, describe your dream room where it would hang. * * * * * To read more ... Keep Reading...
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VINTAGE LINEN & DISH AUCTION … Spread the Word!
As I write this, it's hard to believe that in only 9 days my second year of blogging will be a thing of the past ... and the third one beginning. All of my recent Sally List de-cluttering inspired me to celebrate ... again this year ... by not hosting a party -- exactly. Instead, I'm hosting an auction. Specifically, a Vintage Linen & Dish Auction with 100% of my profit being donated to Hope Unlimited for Children You're all invited! If you're a frequent visitor here, that surely doesn't surprise you -- because you know that I love auctions ... and I love the children of Hope Unlimited! If, however, you're a new visitor at My Place to Yours, I hope you'll click on the "Hope ... Keep Reading...
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Tablescape Inspiration Board: Shabby Chic
Last week about this time I took you on a quick field trip to Das Dutchman Essenhaus in Northern Indiana ... and showed you THESE dishes. Little did I know I'd missed a few. For you rooster lovers ... Pretty classy, huh? And for you lovers of all things feminine ... My heart did a little dance when I spied these dishes with their vibrant colors and patchwork of patterns. Did yours? Wouldn't they be perfect for a soft, Shabby Chic table? My creative juices were flowing ... but all the pretty dishes collided with my desire to de-clutter ... and I'm happy to say that all I brought home were the "photographic" memories that I'm sharing with you. So because I'd love to do a tablescape ... Keep Reading...
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Fabulous Fudge!
I love fudge, but I don't eat it very often. Growing up, my Mom and Sister and I sometimes called it "pudge" because too much of that delicious dessert can make you pudgy, don't you know. I made up for it last week while on vacation because Mackinac Island LOVES its fudge. In fact, Mackinac Island is quite famous for its fudge. So, of course, when I was on the island, I was lovin' me some fudge, too! Every shop lets you taste little bites before you buy so you can choose your favorite flavors ... but even I couldn't imagine visiting all of these fudgeries. Hmmm... I don't think fudgery is ever used as a noun; it is now. I asked Austin, our horse-drawn carriage tour guide, what the best fudge ... Keep Reading...
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GRAND HOTEL Expectations: Mackinac Island
It was about 30 years ago that I first remember hearing of Mackinac Island. While sitting alone watching a special travel feature on television, I made a mental note that I wanted to go there "someday." I don't remember telling anyone ... until recently ... when Renaissance Man and I discussed where to go for a short get-away prior to the Northern Indiana wedding of a family friend. From the "ancient" TV special, I had formed grand expectations for the "someday" trip: beautiful water, the lonnnnng porch at the Grand Hotel, no cars, quaint shopping; an elegant yet carefree destination full of historical intrigue, beauty, and romance. I'm afraid I sometimes have the tendency to expect too much from places (and occasionally from ... Keep Reading...
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Das Dutchman Dishes
Welcome to My Place to Yours! While we're traveling this week, there's no tablescape ... but there are LOTS of dishes. Pick a favorite and tell me what it is! When Renaissance Man and I visit Northern Indiana, we very often stay at this quiet, Amish Country inn. The environment is clean, peaceful, wholesome ... and the food cooked from generations-old recipes is delicious. We've often been here when the ground was snow-covered, but we've never been here in oppressive heat ... until now. Year-round, the village environment draws in locals and travelers alike with its restaurant, bakery, quaint shopping, conference center, and overnight accommodations. As you might guess, I'm always drawn to the dishes. ... Keep Reading...
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Dropping the Pin …
For a few more hours yet, it's the 4th of July 2012. I received an email from a friend today that included these stories. They've circulated in cyberspace for awhile, but I've decided I'd like to put them in writing here at My Place ... so I won't ever forget ... and hopefully you won't either.< At a time when our president and other politicians tend to apologize for our country's prior actions, perhaps it's time to remember how some of our former patriots handled negative comments about our country. JFK's Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, was in France in the early '60s when DeGaulle decided to pull out of NATO. DeGaulle said he wanted all U.S. military out of France as soon as possible. Rusk responded, "Does ... Keep Reading...
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Flag-waving from Mackinac Island
Wherever you are, I hope you're having a wonderful week! As I write this post, Renaissance Man and I are enroute to Indiana for a family friend's weekend wedding. How I absolutely LOVE having a hot spot on the phone so I can link up and be online while traveling! I shared the wedding inspiration boards ... and the tablescape they inspired ... with you HERE. Since we were headed north from Tennessee anyway, we decided to take a couple of days' vacation and head even further north ... to the much-desired-but-never-before-visited destination of Mackinac Island, Michigan. To save a little cha-ching, we actually stayed on the mainland at St. Ignace ... just across Lake Huron ... at the Colonial House ... Keep Reading...
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Dressy New Life for Old Linens
Welcome to My Place to Yours! If you've been kind enough to visit here before, you probably know that I love vintage linens. I don't even mind when they have a few "imperfections" since it usually just means they've been enjoyed rather than hidden in a drawer. But sometimes a beautiful old piece has so many holes that I end up using it solely as a pretty background in pictures. That was the case with the gorgeous crocheted tablecloth I used in these pics. It could only be classified as a "cutter" ... and so I decided to let it go during my recent porch sale. I hoped someone could cut it up (thus, the name) and make something pretty out of the good sections. Someone did! Only days after ... Keep Reading...
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Waking Up to White
Good morning! I'm in the mood for a pretty white breakfast table today, but it's only going to happen in Blogland. Little Man and Little Sir are here visiting for one more day, and they'll be waking up any minute ... and breakfast time with an almost 3-year-old and an almost 3-month-old is more functional than fancy ... but I hope you enjoy looking at the table I'd set for you this morning if YOU were joining me. Yes, I know it's not proper etiquette to use candles during the day, but I always like to know the rules ... so I can decide when to break them! Besides, I think these sweet little candleholders perfectly complement the shape of the juice glasses and the "frill" of the gladiolus. I'll ... Keep Reading...
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GIVE IT UP! A Sally List Update
Hello all! Thanks for stopping by today. I'm really glad you're here. Quite frankly, I'm glad I'm here, too! (Translation: I'm glad Sister and I survived our crazy-busy, heavy-lifting, lots-of-standing weekend -- and lived to tell about it!) As you know if you read my last post, my Sister was flying in from Texas to help me with this... After two days of locating all of my hidey-holes (you can see some of them HERE and HERE), hauling my "stash of stuff" to the living room, and setting up display spaces on the porch, Saturday morning arrived and it was time to move everything outside. There was, however, no time to grab the good camera, so we'll just have to make do with cell phone pics... We used every inch of ... Keep Reading...
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Company’s coming … and I’M SO GLAD!
I suppose I can hardly call her "company" since she's my Sister ... and that makes her Family any ol' day of the week! But by the time you see this, United Airlines should have delivered her to my doorstep (I wish!) and we'll be getting into who-knows-what. I'm so glad! Renaissance Man's garden is "glad" too ... even though he's out of town. Sister's gonna LOVE his "glads!" Don't you? In anticipation of her visit, I set a quick table for two ... Here's a tablescaping tip ... If you look closely at the top plate, you'll notice that the green is really more "mint" than "lime," but it works beautifully with the lime green placemats. That's because our eyes see the tiny touch of yellow in the floral and ... Keep Reading...
